


Why you should not mess with the timeline, a guide by Tony Stark

by Tsukichii



Series: Time Issues [1]
Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man: Armored Adventures, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adorable Tony Stark, Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad English, Everybody Lives, Gen, Howard Stark really good parenting, I swear, M/M, Possessive Stephen Strange, Protective Stephen Strange, Stephen is not dark here he just wants to protect his adorable little husband from the world., Thanos is dead, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark-centric, Tony has 15 yrs in this, Young!Tony, but hes gonna grow up, do not fool yourself, endgame messed up the timeline and that an attempt to fix it, fuffly, hes a good dad in this, is not joke, less thanos, this is pure fluffy and comedy, this purple grape deserves death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-03-06 16:29:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18854782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukichii/pseuds/Tsukichii
Summary: Then, as he closed his eyes and let the white unconsciousness and the heat take over his battered body, he just went with the flow.Tony was ok to die for the universe.What he did not see were the six sparkles of the jewels of infinity in his hand, shining brighter than the white of his snap of fingers.By contrast, Tony should know better than to mess with the timeline as they had without expecting any consequence.Or in which Tony did not sign up for it and hates being fifteen years old again. At least he has Stephen with him, even though Stephen was a thousand percent more protective than before. It's not his fault he's dead, okay? At least Thanos is dead this time.





	1. The one where Tony should have died but he not

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> That's my fix it to Endgame. After I watched the movie about 3 times, I saw that it had many holes in the script in relation to the time travel, so I'm going to enjoy those holes.  
> The characters here may be a bit OOCs, especially Stephen, but this Stephen is the Stephen who was married for almost 30 years with Tony and who had to see him die and bury him. So he's a little more protective of Tony, mainly because Tony is a self-sacrificing idiot who will sacrifice himself for others without a second thought (see Thanos), so Stephen has to protect him!
> 
> Oh, and sorry for bad English, English is not my native language and I'm a little bad with the grammar.

Why you should not mess with the timeline, a guide by Tony Stark

“ And I'm ... Iron Man!”  


“Anthony!”  


“No, Dad, please no!”

Tony ignored the desperate cries of his husband and son and threw his fingers in, a deep white appeared from the tips of his fingers as he primed them and spread through his vision. If Tony was honest with himself, he knew he would die by the time he got the jewelry. He knew he would not see Morgan grow up, that he would not see Peter graduate and that he would not take her husband, Stephen, to the date he'd promised nearly six years ago. But he was okay with it, even if he died, even if he lost all this, he knew it was for a good cause and that his family would have a future because of it.

Then, as he closed his eyes and let the white unconsciousness and the heat take over his battered body, he just went with the flow.

Tony was ok to die for the universe.

What he did not see were the six sparkles of the jewels of infinity in his hand, shining brighter than the white of his snap of fingers.  


By contrast, Tony should know better than to mess with the timeline as they had without expecting any consequence.

 

.......

 

Tony was floating. His body did not hurt and he was at peace. He had a vague recollection of snapping his fingers, listening to the desperate screams of his family, remembering the flash of light and disappearing. He remembered all this, but he was strangely at peace. When the thoughts wanted to manifest in his mind, overwhelming peace overwhelmed them.

Nothing else mattered, his mind was at peace, and he was floating in the immensity of emptiness.

Alone.

 

........

 

Until he was not.

 

 

 

Tony was warm and comfortable. He was lying on soft sheets, a fluffy pillow beneath his head. Tony did not remember being so comfortable in a long time.

He moaned softly and rolled over, looking for the warmth of his husband's body, stretching his arm and groping across the bed. Side that was very cold. Had not Stephen come home last night? Tony yawned and stretched, before he dropped to his knees and sat up, scratching his eyes, trying to clear his clouded sleep. He registered a soft pain in his chest, but ignored.

He always had phantom pains after the reactor, to feel pain was his normal, after all.

“F.R.I., where is Stephen? Did he have any problems at the sanctuary?” Tony yawned, waiting for an answer from his A.I., but the answer never came. Tony blinked “F.R.I.?” He tried again. (Tony always went slowly in the morning when he woke up and did not have his daily dose of coffee, so process him.)

Tony yawned again, trying to make his brain work, trying to think of a reason for the lack of response from F.R.I.D.A.Y., when a knock on his door caught his eye.

“Young master?” A familiar voice called before the door was opened and Jarvis entered. Tony blinked, uh, Jarvis should not be older? "Young master, time to get up," Tony blinked. Why was Jarvis calling him a young master? He was 57 years old and had not been young for at least 30 years. “Remember that your father wants to analyze the palladium core of your reactor and try to substitute the element.”

OK wait. Dad? Reactor? What the hell... ?

"Jarvis, I-" Tony paused, now more awake, feeling the panic grow. Where was his sexy, charismatic adult voice (Stephen likes to speak that he had a cute voice. He was not cute, he was sexy and charismatic!)?? Tony looked quickly into his hands and saw small hands, smaller than Peter's hands. Soft hands, small and soft in the place where his tortured, scarred, and rough hands were.

He looked down and saw the familiar brightness of his reactor. On his chest. His small chest. Again.

What the fuck ...?

"Young master?" Tony jumped when he felt a big hand on his shoulder and Jarvis's worried expression in front of him. Jarvis was younger. Jarvis was much younger than he remembered! "Shall I call your father?"

His father? Hes alive? No! No fucking way! He could not face his father! Nonononono-

“I-I'm fine.” Tony jerked his panic down, swallowing. Okay, getting rid of Jarvis first, freaking out in the security and comfort of his room (oh my god, it was the room he had when he was fifteen!) After. “ Sorry, huh, nightmares. Sorry to bother you.” He coughed. Jarvis stared at him, his concern turned to comprehension.

“I understand.” He squeezed Tony's shoulder, trying to provide comfort. “Do you want me to call your mother?”

Oh God, his mother is alive?

"N-no, I'm coming down, just ..." Tony did not finish, lowering his head. Jarvis nodded and gave the teenager a last squeeze and walked away.

"Very well, young master, I will tell to your parents that you will take a while." and with that, Jarvis sighed and left the room, closing the door with a soft click.

Tony lay in bed, sitting with his head down in the same position for five minutes (he knows, he counted), before running off to the bathroom in his room (oh my god, the bathroom was in the same place where he remember. Just in the fucking same place!) He opened the door at once and ran to the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

Big, brown, innocent and in panic eyes.

Fluffy brown hair tousled and large, in the same style he wore when he was sixteen.

Infant face with baby fat and soft skin without scars.

A fucking reactor arc on his chest shining blue with hints of orange.

Tony took a shaky step back, all the way back to his mind. Thanos. The snap ... What the hell was going on? The last thing he remembers is to snap his fingers and everything went white. Where was Stephen? Where were his children?

Tony felt his legs go weak and leaned back in the sink. His breath was racing, he felt his heart beat faster and faster against his fragile chest and tears began to appear in the corner of his eyes.

Okay, he was panicking. Panic did not help at all, Natasha had told him on a mission when he has panic once (Oh god, Natasha ...).

Okay. He could do that. He was Tony Stark, the owner of Stark International. He was the Iron Man. He escaped from the death several times. He was married to the greatest neurosurgery in the country and was the father of the two most incredible and clever children he knew (Shuri did not count, he had not know her in all of Thanos's disgrace).

And he seemed to be damn fifteen.

Tony felt his breath hitch again and took a deep breath. Okay. He could do that.

He walked away from the bathroom, returning to the room to look for a calendar to try to locate in when he was, when he saw, lying comfortably on his bedside table, a cell phone. A small black starkphone standing quietly on the nightstand.

A starkphone that should not have existed in 1977.

Tony went to the phone and, with his trembling hands, he took the innocent device and unlocked it with his digital. Should not exist this system in 1977 Tony's mind whispered but he ignored it.

He ignored it because the phone reported that it was August 28, 2008.

That was wrong. It was wrong because he was forty-six in 2008. Not fifteen.

Tony felt the panic rise up his throat again. Okay, okay. No panic. Come on, you can, Stark, you died for the universe. You can not panic, Tony thought, before taking a deep breath. Okay. He needs to be cool and calm in this situation.

He can be cool and calm. He has to be.

When he resolved this whole situation, when he was sure that his children were well, when he was sure that all was well, he could freak out in Stephen's arms.

OK.

Tony swallowed, picked up his cell phone and researched his name on google. Several results came out but what most caught his attention was his description in wikipedia.

Tony Stark (Anthony Edward Stark), born in 1993, son of Howard and Maria Stark.

OK.

He really was fifteen.

Tony sat on the bed and began to search for news about his family and friends. After a while, he sighed, laying back on the bed and sighing loudly, trying to organize his thoughts.

According to what he had read, his father had not been a ruthless warlord as he had been, who had been, it was his grandfather. His father was only 10 years old at the time of World War II, but he had still met the infamous Captain American and was still searching for him.

His paternal grandparents that had died in 1993 in a suspicious and terribly familiar car accident.

His parents were alive. His mother was alive.

Edwin and Anna Jarvis were much younger and alive.

He was still kidnapped and still spent six months in captivity. The difference was that he had been kidnapped from MIT, not the Afghanistan.

He helps his father with the inventions for they company and he was already considered a genius.

He was creating his first artificial intelligence, it was ready, but it had not yet been linked (JARVIS, his mind whispered).

Obadiah Stane still tried to kill him, but eventually died, his father had been shot Stane, when he picked it up after he had removed the reactor from Tony's chest and was strangling him.

Rhodey was still his best friend and he was still the one who found him when he was kidnapped, but he was accompanied by his father (the fact that here, now, his father really loves him and cares about him already was almost the enough for his mind to go into overdrive again).

Pepper was still a SI employee and was Rhodey's girlfriend (he really see it coming. Before in his time, the sexual tension between them was almost palpable.).

Pepper and Rhodey were the same age in this time as in the other, he was the only one who became a midge until now.

He did not find anything about Stephen. Maybe he's still in college? (He has to exist in this new world, please, without him Tony will not be able to continue)

He did not find anything about Peter or Morgan. (He imagines that they may not have been born yet, but it still hurts a lot to think of a world without his children)

He was still in his third year in MIT mechanics and wanted to die.

And, the most important thing of all:

Died. He was supposed to have died! What the hell was going on ??

Tony sighed, swallowing the panic (Again. Stephen was going to be proud of him when he saw that Tony was managing to deal with his panic attacks.Yay!) And getting out of bed.

He looked at his cell phone and saw that it was nine-thirty in the morning. Huh, it only took him an hour to panic, swallow his panic and put his shit together. A record.

“All right.” Tony grunted, getting out of bed and grabbing a red shirt that was lying on a chair. He dressed her, his brain noticing the fact that she had a hole for the reactor, but he ignored it. “ I can do this. I'll find out how to solve. I always find out. It's not the worst thing you've ever done. Remember the giant squid that you had to get in and out of the worst possible way? Come on.”

Tony sighed before leaving the room and throwing the door. He can. He's Tony fucking Stark. He will be able to talk to his parents and solve all this shitty situation, even if it is to be able to rest in peace.

It will not be so difficult.

 

....  
....  
....

 

Tony takes everything he says. It was horrible! His damned me fifteen years old can not control his emotions when he saw his parents alive, breathing and well and oh my god, his mother is alive-

The first thing he did when he saw her was to run to her and hold her tightly and bury her face in his lap and cry. (He would have cried in her neck, being honest, but he was damn small when he was fifteen.) His mother just smiled sadly at her son and held his head, stroking her hair, humming a soft song in Italian to he. Tony lost track of time, but he was surprised when he felt a bigger hand on his back, making smooth movements. He was horrified when he saw that it was his father. He had tried to wipe his tears and hide, but his father did not.

"Come on, I'm your dad, you can cry in front of me, you know. You do not have to suffer alone."

It was enough for him to cry again.

In short, it was a very difficult morning for Tony, and one of the most embarrassing ones too, but he could not deny that this was what he had always wanted for a long time. His parents getting along, the approval, the love and the affection of his father. It was as if all his dreams as a child were being realized.

After the embarrassing crying, he and his parents had a pleasant cafe of the late morning, they talked, his parents thought that his break was due to the kidnapping and betrayal of Stane. (It was better this way, the only person he wants to tell about all this shit was Stephen and he did not know if he remember him.)

After breakfast, Tony and his father went to the laboratories, the two of them spent all day analyzing options for the palladium core of their reactor. When Tony suggested creating a new one, his mother appeared at the door of the lab and called them to dinner. Not even the interruption prevented Howard from smiling proudly at his son and messing his hair as he passed by.

Tony really did not know how to react to this, so he just looked down at the floor, trying to hide his blush.

Then, after another pleasant dinner with his parents (he never thought he would use that phrase without being sarcastic or ironic one day, who would say!), He went to the silence and peace of his room, where he would finally have peace and time to try to reason and understand his situation.

Ok, first and foremost, why was he alive? He clearly remembers to die. He remembers the pain, remembers feeling his own heart stop.

For a moment, he thought this was the realm of the soul, but it did not strike what Peter had briefly described to him. Maybe he gets a special version because he died using all the stones?

No, that did not make the least sense, even for magic.

Why can not I have peace? Tony grunted, throwing himself on the bed with a sigh. He missed Stephen. He was betting that Stephen had at least some idea of what to do in this situation, given that it was clearly magical.

Tony turned and rolled onto the bed. He needed a plan. Clearly, getting on with your current life was out of the question.

"Okay, first of all, I have to find Stephen. He is the supreme sorcerer, if anyone knows how to solve it, is him.” Tony murmured, determined. Okay, it was not perfect, but it was a beginning. "And if he does not remember me, then ..." Tony swallowed, the thought causing him pain. "I'll see in Karmar Taj. If they belive in me”

Tony felt sadness and solitude as he lay down on the enormous bed alone. He wanted Stephen to hug him. He wanted to curl up against Stephen's warm chest and feel his presence. He wanted his soothing kisses.

He wanted his husband here, now with him.

Tony felt the tears burn in his eyes. He did not want to be alone. No longer. Not after five years, he wanted Stephen with him. He wanted to wake up with soft kisses, wanted to go down and see his children, sleepy after having turned the night playing video games, no matter how they said no, want to have the kisses of good morning of his daughter, Morgan, happy to see their parents.

He wants his family.

Feeling the whole situation fall on him, Tony let out a sore sigh and cringed against the side of the bed.

He is not ashamed to admit that he cried until he slept.

 

…..  
…..  
…..

 

Meanwhile, in Nebraska, in a distant farm town, a seventeen year old Stephen Strange also cry, but this time for another reason. The supreme sorcerer, soon after making sure he was not in an illusion or anything like that, after he was sure that this was all real, cried with joy.

A second chance. He had a second chance to save his husband. His Anthony.

And he was going to save him and nothing was going to stop him. Not Steve Rogers, not even Thanos.

Stephen was going to save him even if he had to end them himself.


	2. Eight or Eighty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tony did not actually have an plan A and had to call Plan B, but it all worked out in the end (he also cried a little, but who cares? He's so fucking happy.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> I thought a little about how I will go with this story and I came up with some ideas. now has a plot! Finally, it will be three initial chapters, with the reunion of Tony and Stephen, so the story will go from there with the normal plot.  
> I intend to continue with the plot from the TV show, because I think it is more critical than the movies.  
> Anyway, this is part 2/3 of the reunion of Tony and Stephen, so enjoy!

Eight or Eighty

Tony had a plan. A very simple plan, in fact:

Find Stephen, see if he remembers him and the marvelous 30-year married couple you two had together (go cry and suffer in a corner if he does not remember, but Tony did not want to think about that possibility. Happy thoughts, he had to have thoughts happy, dammit), if not, try to look for his husband's magic cult.

Pretty simple, in fact.

What Tony did not count (remembered, if he was honest, the thought did not even cross his mind even that though was practically dancing in his face since when he woke up) was that he was fifteen. He was fifteen and a minor. He needed his parents' permission to travel, because he was a minor. He could not even travel to the nearby city alone, how much to another state. Not to mention that last month he returned from a six-month kidnapping with shrapnel in his chest, a reactor being the only thing that prevented him from dying, a possible palladium poisoning (which was happening earlier. Cursed you, fifteen year old body) and of course, let's not forget the icing on the cake:

His godfather who sold him to the terrorists tried to kill him, but fortunately thankfully his father did not allow this. 

It all went well in the end. The problem is that now his parents would not let him out of they sight for a long time.

But it does not mean he will not try to convince his parents to take a trip to Nebraska. He's Tony Stark, of course he can persuade his parents to let him go on a simple trip to Nebraska. It's not that far from New York!

Which brings us to the current situation:

"But mom ..." Tony would deny for the rest of his days that the noise that came out of his mouth was an undignified whimper (He was an Stark and Stark mens not whined, dammit!) "It's only four days! I promise to call every day I'm there! It will be quick, you will not even miss me! "Tony begged, but Maria Stark's face remained determined.

"The answer is still not, Anthony," Maria said, looking at the pout that her son flaunted. Tony had been trying to convince Maria to let him take a trip to Nebraska for almost three hours. It was a simple four-day trip, but Mary remained adamant about her decision. "It's dangerous and remember, you're not in your perfect health yet." Maria pointed brightly at the bright reactor in the teen's chest.

"But I'm fine." Tony frowned and Maria gave a small smile before walking up to the brunette and hugging him gently. "Mom?"

"I know you want to visit your friend, bambino, but" Maria hugged her head and touched her head in the soft hair of her son "we almost lost you. It was six months when we had no idea if you were alive, so ... Please understand that we can’t let you leave now. Neither I nor your father wants to lose you, my dear. "

Right. Tony decidedly could not question that.

"Okay," Tony murmured, falling into his mother's warm embrace and giving in. He knows the feeling of losing a loved one and, as hard as it is hard to believe, his parents in this reality in which he was spat after Thanos really loved him. It must have been hell for them at the time he was kidnapped.

"Why are not you going to work at J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Maria asked softly, pulling away from her son and stroking his brown hair. "I'm sure you'll be able to activate it before your father comes back from his business trip. Then we can even discuss with him the possibility of taking a vacation at the end of the week, just the three of us, what do you think, bambino? "

"Alright, mama." Tony smiled softly, before turning and heading toward the lab.

 

"Okay, that will not work ..." Tony grunted, putting his hand on the digital reader and opening the door to his personal lab. It was unbelievably similar to what he had in 2008 when he was 37 years old. Without half the technology he had at that time.

Of course, without J.A.R.V.I.S.

Tony walked over to a swivel chair that was next to his computer and sat, swinging gently from side to side, looking at the white ceiling of the lab, pensively.

Clearly he went alone to Nebraska to find Stephen was out of the question. His parents will not let him step out of the house alone so early (It was still so strange to have loving and compassionate parents that he felt lost eighty percent of the time ...).

He had his Iron Man armor, but ...

He could not pilot it now, the palladium poisoning was advancing fast in his system. Not as fast as the time he discovered, a year after turning Iron Man, into his original timeline, but quick enough for him not risk wearing his suit (he just does not know if his fifteen-year-old body would stand and he would hate to hand over a corpse to Stephen).

Even if he took a chance and piloted the suit, his parents and Jarvis would notice that he left. He could just take the suit and go anyway, of course, but he did not want to worry them. He had come out of a captivity and near-death experience for almost a month and he was not that cruel.

J.A.R.V.I.S. is not activated yet, and even if it was, it was not developed enough to travel alone to Nebraska.

He could ask Rhodey or Pepper to go with him, but the two are very busy with the army and the SI, respectively, so they would not have time for him.

Jarvis, the human, could go with him, or even his parents, but they would not let him go out and look for Stephen alone (And a problem that also exists with him going with Rhodey and Pepper, to be honest. That and the fact that he had to hold candle for both of them. Urgh.)

In short, he could not go to Stephen now.

"Damn," Tony grunted, spinning in the chair faster. Finding Stephen was out of the question, then.

Tony looked up, lost in thought, trying to find a solution without having to appeal to Plan B (if he were honest with himself, Plan B was far less painful for him, but Tony wanted to see Stephen ...).

After a few minutes, Tony stopped spinning in his chair and stared at his computer, biting his lip.

Plan B, then.

Tony crawled to the computer and dialed him, watching the Stark Industries logo appear on the screen. Tony was pretty reluctant about it, but he had to do it.

He was going to send a message to Stephen.

It's pretty simple, actually. Very practical, too. He has already located Stephen before with a little help from the SI server and he could send a message easily to him. He can send a coded message to Stephen with a number so he can contact Tony when he wants. He could even use the coding base he used on Peter's costume for the last time. Stephen has an eidetic memory and he remembers explained to him how it would work in Peter costume coding once (Well detail, also because Tony was excited at the time and when he was excited he turned a bloody chatty).

And if Tony remembers, Stephen will surely remember. It's a fact.

It was perfect, the coding is eight years in the future, and even if SHIELD intercepts the message, it will never find out the content. It was perfect. Practically a flawless plan, but...

He was afraid. Tony was terrified, to be honest. He was terrified that he would send the message and never receive the answer. He was afraid to find Stephen and not see the recognition in the stormy eyes that he love so much.

He was afraid that Stephen would not know who he was. That he did not remember what they had lived together.

It was just that Tony had to consider this possibility (an eighty percent chance, his mind whispered) made his chest ache as if it was being opened again and his eyes filled with tears.

Tears that quickly began to seep through his eyes.

"Fifteen-year-old stupid body," Tony grumbled, trying to wipe away the tears streaming down his eyes furiously "stop crying, you bastard. Stark men are made of iron. You're made of iron. Stop being so pathetic, it's not about your feelings, it's about the fucking survival of the world! "

Tony snarled, opened the program on his computer and began to type furiously. Screw it. Screw everything!

He was Tony Stark. Tony fucking Stark! He could send a damn mess! And so he had a chance of eighty percent (he was not naive enough to think that Stephen certainly came back with him, but it was something he did not want to think about) to have his heart broken in the worst possible way?

It's not about his happiness, it's about the survival of the whole fucking universe. And he could not let something like Thanos happen again. What if he came back?

No, Tony will not let that happen!

So what if Stephen could not remember him? He was going to have a happier life without Tony to get in the way. He may have never had his accident! He could have continued as a successful neurosurgeon and had a long and happy life and ...

No Tony to take him to certain death.

Tony's hands trembled as he typed, and when he sent the message, he could not help letting out a trembling sigh and begging for all the deities he knew.

Please, let Stephen remember me. Please, let me have this.

 

"But brother!" Stephen looked up from his cell phone and stared at his younger sister, Donna, standing in the doorway. The girl was dressed in shorts and a large pink blouse, a beach buoy under her arm and with a pout looking at him with a puzzled expression "You promised we would go to the lake today, you would teach me how to swim!" Stephen remembers having promised, yes, to his sister that he would teach her to swim, but he also remembers what happened to her on the lake.

And he preferred to avoid killing his sister again.

"It's not a good day to swim in the lake today, Donna. It's cold, we can have cramps and drown. "

"It's not fair." Donna pouted. Stephen smiled softly at the child.

"Besides, Victor said he wanted to go too. We can go to the pub pool next weekend. "Donna was still pouting, but she let go of the float and went to him in bed, coming from behind Stephen and leaning on his shoulders, trying to look over his shoulder at his cell phone.

"Are you talking to someone?"

'I'm waiting for a friend to contact, actually. We're going to finish a job together. "

"Boring," Donna whimpered, dropping her brother and falling into bed unceremoniously.

"Donna, I heard that our mother is going to the mall with our father," Stephen said persuasively. "She wants to buy some clothes, why do not you ask to go along? I'm sure she'd love your help choosing. "

Donna smiled brightly and jumped out of bed.

"Seriously?"

"Yes." Stephen nodded and Donna hurried off, leaving the float on the floor of Stephen's room.

"Thank you, brother!" Stephen shook his head, listening to Donna call for their mother, before giving a slight wave of his hand and locking the door with magic, his eyes returning to the cell phone in his hand.

Since when he woke up in this new universe, Stephen spent the four days he's been here trying to understand his situation and why he's standing there now, at that moment with such glaring changes in reality as those.

The fact that he was seventeen in 2008 was a good example.

Then, after checking that this reality was true and not an illusion, Stephen tried to find reasons for that to be happening and, after some verifications not as accurate as he wanted, he came to the conclusion that the responsible ones had been the jewels.

But why?

Stephen had some theories but he would have to talk to the Ancient One about them and unfortunately he could not go to Karmar Taj now.

So, he decided to focus on more urgent problems that were within reach at the time.

Was he the only one who came back? Had Tony come back to now, too? Stephen knew that Tony was alive, that he was fifteen years old, and that he had been rescued from the infamous kidnapping and that he had the arc reactor implanted in his chest. He had done his research days ago, but not even the most reliable newspapers could speak with accuracy about Tony's health status and that was eating Stephen, because he did not know if Tony was all right.

Of course, he also did not know if this Tony was his Anthony.

If Stephen were honest with himself, if he had his ring at the time he came back and realized that this was a true reality and saw that Tony was alive, the first thing he would have done was to go up to his Anthony, kiss him senseless fight him for being a selfless absolute idiot and then make him promise never to do that to him again.

But Stephen did not have his ring, he could not go to the Ancient One to get one, much less he had to go to his Anthony. So he had to wait for his husband to get in touch with him.

It's only been four days and he has not heard from Anthony.

Which leads to the current situation, Stephen lying in his bed, looking at his cell phone, his messages and his email, expecting any kind of contact Tony might make as a teenager in love, but he has not received anything yet. Only emails and useless massages, no news from his stupid husband.

Stephen sighed, dropped his cell phone on the bed and lay, staring at nothing, lost in thought. Why Tony has not contacted him yet? Stephen knew that the current situation was caused by the jewels and the snap (Stephen did not want to think about it, he knew that Tony was going to die and the thought by itself only left his body cold and broke his heart in millions of pieces. Stephen did not know how to live without Tony), and if he was affected, of course Tony was. It was pretty obvious after thinking about it, actually, and Stephen had been waiting for Tony's contact since the moment he realized it almost three days ago, but Tony still has not contacted and Stephen was getting ... anxious.

Tony had not contacted him yet because he had a problem? Stephen knew that the whole thing with Stane had happened less than a month ago but, according to the papers, Tony was fine, they did not say if he was healthy, but he would return to MIT in less than two weeks, so he was fine , in theory.

But Stephen was still very worried.

He knew about palladium poisoning, of course, he helped Tony survive on the last timeline, but ... What if it got aggravated by Tony's current age? Tony was fifteen and his body was weaker than his thirty-seven year old self. The reactor was another aggravating factor before it was enough to make Tony weakened and Stephen was afraid of what he could do to Tony now that he was younger and did not have his body fully developed. Stephen feared that Tony was hurt or incapacitated in some way.

Lost in thought, Stephen was startled when his cell phone vibrated. He turned his tempestuous eyes to the little device and picked it up, reading the notification that appeared on the screen.

He had received a message, the sender had no number and was identified only as "You know who I am".

Stephen practically jumped out of bed and opened the message, several zeros and ones appeared on the small screen, but that did not catch his attention. He knew that particular sequence. He knew why it was Tony who had made it to Peter's suit and he had vibrated with it, elaborately explaining to Stephen the basics of that language, with almost childish joy.

A smile spread across his face, a happiness flowing in his chest as he read the message that his precious Anthony sent him.

 

Stephen,

Please tell me you're there too. We are already six years late for that date and I miss you terribly. Usually I would play around saying that I am quite unforgettable, but in this case I am tempted to beg, and you know I do not beg, so please contact me.  
I love you three thousand, please do not forget me.

Tony

 

Tony pressed the enter, sent the message and laid his head on the table with a soft thud. He did. He sent the message (eight percent chance that Stephen is here with you, you're only going to get hurt, his mind whispered to him). Tony grabbed his cell phone and squeezed it eagerly.

Now it's just wait and cheer for what-

The phone in his hand began to ring.

Tony fumbled and sat upright, moving away from the table, holding the phone with both hands, looking at the screen, reading the number that appeared.

Stephen's number shone on the screen and Tony, with his hands trembling (oh my God, he understood, Stephen is here too, he's not alone), he answered and put the phone to his ear.

“Anthony”

Stephen's raspy voice, so different from the voice he was accustomed to, a younger different voice, yet with so much love, affection, and recognition, made Tony laugh and shed tears of relief.

"S-Stephen, you ... You remembered me."

"I did not forget you, how could I? My best years were with you. I love you so much that it's impossible for me to live in a world without you. I would never forget you, my beloved Anthony. "

He was not alone in this strange new world, Stephen was with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for bad english, again, it's not my native language.  
> Are there any beta available that can help me?  
> the next chapter will be the final part of the meeting, where these two idiots in love will meet. I'll try to update as soon as possible.
> 
> See ya!


	3. In That Everything Worked Out In The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Tony was sad because it was going to take him some time to see Stephen and Stephen does not care if he can have his husband.
> 
>  
> 
> Hello, after a while, finally the final chapter (of that part, at least)!  
> I would like to thank the incredible IronFey_42 of the Ironstrange discord that was my beta in this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Tony was happy. So fucking happy that he was happily ignoring everything bad that might be happening in his life at the moment (like the annoying pains in his chest. Man, he had forgotten how the reactor with the palladium core was problematic). Everything in his life (past? New life?) Was going wonderfully well, his father loved him (?) And was proud of him, he had his mother again, Rhodey, Pepper and Happy were with him, however much they now at least twenty years of difference between them, they were still friends, as close as they were, and as close as ever.

Of course, let's not forget the main reason he was so happy, Stephen remembered him. His life just was not better because he still did not have his kids with him (it still hurt like a bitch and he missed Peter and Morgan terribly, but if he got Stephen back, he would get his kids too).

They made contact four days ago and talked every day, Tony was truly happy to be able to talk to his husband (Tony decidedly did not care that they were in another reality and that they did not even have the age to be legally married, but Stephen is his husband and he's going to punch anyone who dares to say the opposite, damn it), again. The two found that they were studying in the same city, Boston, Tony at MIT and Stephen at Boston University, universities were close enough that they could spend the night together smoothly.

Needless to say Tony was looking forward to going back to college. Do not misunderstand him, he hated college (he hated it with a passion the first time, having to repeat it all over again? He almost hit his head on the wall several times when he realized it) and loved his parents and Jarvis, but ...

He wanted to see Stephen.

As fast as possible, preferably.

 

 

"Why do you think this happened, Stephen?" Tony asked one night, lying on his bed like a passionate teenager talking to his passion (not that theoretically, he was not one at the time, but ...) "I mean because we come back? Do not get me wrong, it was an okay result, even considering the whole situation, even though we will probably have to do it all over again, which is going to suck, especially considering that I'm now a fifteen-year-old brat, but .. Why did everything change? Why are we back? " Why am I alive? "Was what Tony wanted to ask, but he did not have the guts.

He did not need to because Stephen understood him, he knew him well, after all.

"I suspect it was the work of the stones," Stephen murmured, his tone darkening strangely, so different from the relieved and passionate Tony had listened to in the last few days "but I'll have to check with the Ancient One later. I need to make sure it's not going to reverse. "Tony opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but there was something in Stephen's tone that made Tony stop for a moment.

Tony knew Stephen for almost thirty years and knew when something was bothering the other man deeply, but since he was not with his magical and stubborn husband, he could not calm him down with hugs if he tried to broach the subject and upset the other ( Stephen could be in a shitty mood, but Tony prided himself on being able to calm his husband by just sitting on his lap and hugging him.It was almost superpower to turn the irritated and angry Stephen Strange into Tony's foolish and passionate husband so, according to Cristine and Rhodey), then Tony let the matter die.

Per hour.

"OK. Do you think we'll be able to live together when we go to Boston? I mean, my dad does not want me to live in dormitories or alone after, well, you know, and I kind of mentioned you to mommy, "Tony murmured, feeling his face warm.

"You talked about me to your mother, Tony?" Stephen asked, laughing softly, the dark dash in his voice fading.

Tony was happy that Stephen was happy again, even if it was his expense.

"I kind of said I wanted to go to Nebraska a lot and visit a friend. Mama was glad I had a friend outside Rhodey and Pepper, even though she said no ... "

"With all that has happened and with your injuries, I'm honestly surprised that your parents are letting you go back to college," Stephen sneered, with good humor. "Of course they would not let you go to Nebraska to meet a friend they never even heard of, douchebag."

"I know that asshole," Tony said, their play flowing naturally. God, he missed that. "I'm not an idiot. I'm a genius!"

"The most stupid genius I've ever known."

"But I'm your stupid genius." Tony laughed humorously.

"My stupid genius."

So focused on the conversation with Stephen, Tony did not see his mother approaching slowly and leaning against the doorframe, looking at the son with an arched eyebrow.

"Do not worry, love." Stephen's tone softened after they stopped playing, the conversation taking a more serious tone again. "It's a few more days and I'll have you in my arms again. You do not have to get caught up and hurt, no matter how much I want you here with me now. "

"I know, but," Tony growled, feeling his face heat up again, damn fifteen-year-old body full of hormones. "I wanted to see you, you know, after all, even if it went wrong. It's pretty dumb, I know, "Tony gave a sad, self-deprecating laugh." You're right, I'm really a dumb genius. "

"Anthony," Stephen said, his voice full of love and affection. "Believe me, when I say you're not stupid. In fact, you were even more rational than I was, because if I had my ring the moment I came back, I would go straight to you. And believe me when I say I would not care at all for the consequences. I had, actually have to see you. As fast as I can, but I do not want to hurt you just because I'm an impatient man. "

"Stephen ..." Tony whispered.

"I love you so much it hurts not to have you here," Stephen swore, "Believe me, even if I didn’t have memories of our time together, the love I felt for you would still be here. There is no world where I do not love you. "

"I wanted you to be here with me, now ..." Tony whispered, feeling where his love reached him.

"And I wanted you in my arms from the moment I came back. I wanted to grab you and take you away from anything that might take you from me again. "Stephen spoke, his voice suspiciously wobbly.

“I love you, Stephen. I love you three thousand," The brunette spoke smiling, wiping the stubborn tears that flowed from his eyes, "Just a few more days and I'll be able to hold you as I wanted to the moment you came back and you won’t be able to do anything about it. "

"You talk like it's bad to have you on my lap." Stephen flirted, laughing.

"Stephen!"

Maria smiled and laughed silently, moving away and giving her child privacy.

So her little Anthony had a boyfriend, huh?

Maria really could not wait to tease Anthony about it and meet the boy who stole her son's, fragile heart.

Of course, set boundaries and threaten them appropriately. Anthony would not be used or betrayed again.

As she returned to her room, Maria wondered if Howard was still in the room or she would have to go down to the lab and drag her stubborn husband. She wanted to research this 'Stephen'.

 

 

The next day, Tony came down the stairs of his house almost like a zombie, yawning and his face sweating with sleep. He had stayed up until almost three in the morning talking to Stephen and they only went to bed because Tony was yawning every ten minutes and Stephen realized, telling him to go to bed with the promise that they would talk again in the morning, but Tony had to go to sleep because he was still injured and had to recover.

However, the moment Tony hung up the phone and lay down to sleep, his brilliant brain decided that it was a good idea to start running the schemes of the new reactor core and thanks to that Tony stayed up until almost six in the morning writing schemes and projects. Not that he didn’t know what to do because he knew it, but even though it was the same arc reactor with the same problems, created under the same conditions, it was still different because he was not 30 years old.

He was fifteen and needed to change the original design for his teenage self if he didn’t want to die a painful death.

So it was eight thirty in the morning and Tony slept only two and a half hours. He was very tired and needed coffee.

Urgently.

"Did your chest cause trouble last night, Tony?" Howard asked, looking worriedly at Tony who sat down at the table, tired and sleepy, "Would you like to go to the lab to do more tests? A remedy for the pain? "

"No more than normal, I-" Tony began, yawning and groping blindly for the table for coffee. Where was the coffee? "I slept a little last night. I was talking to Stephen. "

"Stephen?" Howard raised an eyebrow, remembering the name Maria mentioned last night to him. Howard had done his research and discovered that he was a medical student in Boston, but he did not understand how he and Tony knew each other or why he only heard about this ‘Stephen’ last night. Tony never mentioned him before and he caught the attention of Maria, God knows why (Maria did not say that Stephen was Tony's very likely boyfriend because she knew Howard and he would go completely into Overprotective Dad Mode and Maria wanted to see who this Stephen was and if he really made his son happy. If not, he would suffer the wrath of Howard as Tiberius Stone had learned when he hurt his precious son.)

"Yeah, I was talking to him, but-" Tony yawned again and finally reached for the coffee cup, taking a sip and giving a groan of satisfaction. "When I went to sleep, I started making the schemas for the new element to replace the palladium core-" Tony took another sip of coffee, feeling more awake, "I already have the theory made, I just need help with the execution, I ran some tests with JARVIS and they all gave positive results, "Tony said, sleep quickly being replaced with enthusiasm.

"Element? Did you create a new element?” Howard asked incredulously. For a moment, Tony was not seeing present time Howard, but the Howard that he grew up with, who seemed annoyed and, he dared to say, even envious of when Tony spoke or showed off some brilliant invention.

"Y-yes, I mean, it's not created-but I've got all the schemes done and I've run through various simulations, I did not mention it earlier because you were late and I did not want to bother." Tony stammered nervously, closing his eyes when he saw Howard stand up.  
He did not have to be afraid, he was the Invincible Iron Man, he faced Thanos and left alive (?)!

And this version of Howard loved him ... Right?

The image of the Howard that he had in his mind soon shattered when he felt a heavy but loving hand on his head, messing with his hair. Tony opened his eyes and saw Howard in front of him, a warm, proud smile on his lips and being addressed to him.

"I'm proud of you, Tony!" Howard turned to Jarvis, an enthusiastic expression on his face. "Jarvis, did you hear that? My son created an element! A new element at that!"

"In fact, I can see, sir, that the young master and really clever." Jarvis laughed, amused at seeing Howard's enthusiasm.

"Maria, our son is a genius!" Howard turned to his wife, who smiled at the sight of her boys.

"Yes, Howard, I can see," Maria shook her head as Howard began to chatter to Jarvis about their son's intelligence. Decidedly a proud father, as always, Maria laughed to herself.

Whoever said that Howard Stark was not a drooling father for his son really did not know him.

"Tony, show me your designs, let's run them right now in the lab!" Howard exclaimed, pulling his son by the hand to the lab, Tony moving quickly, chattering about the project, the element, and how it should be performed.

Maria and Jarvis watched them walk away with smiles on their lips.

"Boys."

 

 

After a few weeks (one and a half, more specifically) Tony was leaving home to return to MIT (and Stephen), his parents are at Stark's private airport with him, his mother hugging him firmly and his father giving him advice last minute.

"Are you sure you’re not forgetting anything, Anthony?" Maria asked, holding her son's shoulders, with a worried look. "Are you wearing your sweaters? Boston is cold this time of year, you have to take care of yourself and not get sick. "

"Sweaters are not important, Maria, he can always buy a new one if he's missing a few," Howard said, analyzing Tony from top to bottom, looking for any sign of discomfort that his son may be hiding and making himself a quick checkup. "You're wearing the suit of kevlar full body? Do you have your panic button with you? How about the reactor reserve? "

"No need to worry, Mom, Dad." Tony stepped slightly away from Maria and looked down at his parents with a soft smile on his lips, "I'm wearing my sweaters and coats, I'm also taking the arc ballast,” Tony pulled the high collar off his red long-sleeved shirt and revealed a black and fair blouse with a metallic glow underneath, "I’m earing the body suit, and here’s the panic button,” Tony said as he raised his hand and showing his father the metal bracelet that he was wearing “J.A.R.V.I.S. and the reserve reactor are also here with me, I didn’t forget anything. "

Howard and Maria share a worried look.

"Are you sure you don’t want to wait longer before returning to M.I.T.? We just replaced the palladium core to the Starkium core last week. "

"Don’t worry, dad, I have everything under control and I'm protected. You also arranged a large sheltered space where I can work and sleep without worrying, and-" Tony stopped when he saw the concern in his father's eyes and felt warm inside. It was still very strange to have parents (especially his father. God, this Howard really loved him, sometimes he felt like he was in a weird dream) who loved him and cared about him "I'll be fine. No need to worry. "

"Of course we'll worry, bambino." Maria pulled him back into her arms and Tony hugged her back.

"We're your parents, Tony, worrying is part of the package when you become a parent, you know," Howard teased, putting his hand on Tony's head and messing up the cute brown curls. Tony sighed happily, feeling the love and affection of his parents. Sometimes in his old life, Tony did not feel how much he missed his parents until he made some discovery or something he was proud of, and then when he came to celebrate, he remembered that his parents were gone. over there. Before he met Stephen, that was very painful, even if he had Rhodey, it still hurt to know he would never get a smile from his mother again or get a chance to win his father's pride.

So in this new life, he took advantage of moments like this, when a simple hug or affection in his hair made him all melted and calm because his parents were here and they loved him.

(Not that Tony was not an affectionate addict, he was one and proud, thank you very much, but the affection of his parents was ... well, it was the affection of his parents and that alone was self-explanatory.)

"About the place where you vacuum, the apartment and in a protected condominium, you will officially have two floors, one for your personal laboratory and another for the apartment itself" Howard explained "J.A.R.V.I.S. is already connected throughout the building and you are the only one living there, sorry, I know it's going to be lonely, but it is for your safety. "Howard apologizes, but Tony just nods in understanding.

"I understand, safer alone than with people you can’t be sure you can trust because you end up relying on them and it ends up bad for you." Tony shuddered, treachery was a very delicate subject for him, especially considering the whole his past life and the absurd amount of treachery he suffered.

"Yes," Howard squeezed Tony's shoulder in sympathy, his face hardening, thinking of Stane, which was still a delicate subject for the Starks, "Let's have at least one visit a month to see how you are."

"And we'll call you every day," Maria finished, giving her son a final squeeze before releasing him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but..." Jarvis called, and the three Starks turned to face him "the plane is already prepared. The young master will be late if we do not leave soon. "

Jarvis would accompany Tony from New York to Boston, where he would leave him in the condominium and then return to the mansion. Howard himself wanted to make the journey with his son, to make sure he would be all right, but because of Stane's betrayal and the discovery that he was selling his weapons to terrorists, Howard was conducting an investigation into the Stark government, trying to find every one of their weapons sold on the black market.

Of course, that meant only that he was stuck up to his neck at work and meetings, not being able to do things like taking his son back to college, so he would have to rely on Jarvis to put Tony in safety.

"Very well," said Howard, looking at his son. "If anything happens, anything, you press the panic button, understand? You'll call the authorities and show the location of the nearest hiding place."

"All right, Dad," Tony agreed, and Howard breathed a sigh of relief.

"Be careful, Anthony." Mary pulled him and kissed his forehead.

"I'm going, Mom, I promise"

 

"Here you are, young master," Jarvis said, placing the last of the three suitcases Tony had brought, into the living room of his new apartment. The place was spacious, beautiful and looked a bit like his house in Malibu and he bet that the laboratory was amazing too, but if Tony was honest, he really wanted to rest, because even though it was a five-hour trip and five hours was nothing compared to the hours he spent without sleeping in his lab before, but Tony was tired. Anxiety had not let him sleep last night and he just wanted to rest, in Stephen's arms preferably. 

"Do you need me to stay the night?" Jarvis asked worriedly.

Tony blinked.

"Nah, it's okay, Jarvis." Tony nodded, with a carefree smile. "I'm going to take a nap, and then I'll go to the lab, I'll be fine, you don’t have to worry." Jarvis stared at him for a moment before sighing. He walked towards the teen and pulled him into a hug. "Jarvis?"

"I know your parents have spoken several times, but take care, yes? You gave us such a scare months ago, please don’t do that again. If anything happens to you, we would all feel very sad.”

"Okay," Tony muttered, squeezing the other man. In his old life as well as this, Jarvis had always been like a father to him.

"Take care, young master, please." And with one last squeeze, Jarvis let go of Tony and went out the door, leaving the brunette alone in his new apartment.

Tony stood for a while, staring at his new living room before crawling up to his couch and sitting down. He was tired and wanted Stephen, but he could not have Stephen yet, because Stephen's vacation would only be over in a week.

"JARVIS, track Stephen's cell phone for me and see if he's home if I'm not mistaken, he said he was going to teach Donna to go swimming in the public pool with his brother tonight." Tony murmured and laid on his spacious couch, releasing a long sigh. God, he was tired. "Oh, send him a message that I've arrived, okay?"

"Of course, sir" the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. resounded through the room. He was very clever and advanced, but he was not yet his J.A.R.V.I.S.

"Oh, that reminds me," Tony muttered, settling on the couch to get comfortable. He was just going to close his eyes for a few minutes. "Give me a ring when you're done. Have I put Stephen on the same priority list as Rhodey and Pepper....." The brunette grabbed one of the pillows from the couch and hugged him tightly, closing his eyes and falling asleep a few moments later.

A few minutes later, a small beep came from Tony's cell phone, which was lying on the table with the information he wanted, but the brunette was asleep.

 

 

Stephen stopped in front of a large building, looking at his cell phone for a moment before facing the building once more and walking to the porch. The site is a large edifice and reminded Stephen of the old Stark tower. Stephen, however, ignored this detail. He managed to convince his parents that he wanted to go back to college early and got back a week earlier than expected, and when he was sitting on his bed in his apartment, his cell phone rang and he quickly left the door after reading the message that his Anthony was in town and Stephen would not spend more time without his love in his arms.

Stephen was now in front of the porter, ringing the intercom. His hands were shaking, even though he had not suffered the infamous accident and his hands were perfectly fine, but only the fact that he was a few steps away from seeing his husband again...

Stephen was anxious.

Although this Tony was much younger than his Anthony, he was so eager to see him, it hurt.

Finally, finally, he would have his precious Anthony, alive and well in his arms again. He could hug him, kiss him, share his warmth (so different from before, that his love was cold, so cold, dead -) -

His life would finally make sense again.

Holding his cell phone, Stephen called Tony once more, sighing when the call dropped to voice mail. Stephen wasted no time and rang the intercom.

He did not want to do that, if he was sincere, explaining who he was to safety would be problematic, but he was adamant to leave without seeing his Anthony.

"Mr. Strange." The voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. pulled him out of his thoughts and he took a step back as the door to the room opened, releasing his entry "Access Level, Alpha. Released. Welcome, sir. "Stephen smiled broadly.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., where's Tony?" The wizard asked, swiftly past the entrance and heading for the elevator, tapping his fingers impatiently on the buttons and entering.

"Sir currently on the living room sofa, sleeping. I would recommend taking him to the room. "A.I replied, but Stephen did not respond, just nodded, folding his arms impatiently, when the elevator was not fast enough for him.

The moment the doors opened, Stephen came running into the room, stopping only when he stood facing the beautiful creature sleeping on the couch. The fluffy brown hair, larger than the style he used to wear before, fell rebelliously over his face, his long lashes falling on his rosy cheeks, large, pink, kissable lips were open and moist. His thin chest was covered by a long-sleeved red shirt that came up and down, the arc-like glow of the arc reactor calmed his tempestuous heart.

His love, his Anthony was alive.

Stephen knelt down and touched Tony's face softly, charmed by the warmth at his fingertips, where he was touching him.

Despite being sure that his Anthony was alive, seeing him here, breathing, being able to touch him and feeling the heat radiating from his skin made Stephen tremble and his eyes began to water. Suddenly, everything he spent on Titan and the final battle against Thanos was just a   
dark shadow in the back of his mind. All that mattered was your husband here, alive and well.

His Anthony.

"We finally meet, my love," Stephen whispered, taking one of Tony's hands to his lips and kissing it tenderly.

Suddenly, the hand he was kissing closed and squeezed his in a tender grip. Stephen opened his eyes and found himself staring at the most beautiful brown whiskey orbs he had ever seen.

"S-Stephen, it's you ..." Tony whispered, wide-eyed and hopeful as he tried awkwardly to sit on the couch. "Wah!" Tony screamed as Stephen grabbed his other hand and pulled him toward him, sitting up as the brunet landed unceremoniously on his lap.

"Anthony ... My precious Anthony ... At last, you're in arms again," Stephen whispered, smashing his face into the brunette's neck, running his arms around Tony's waist and steadying himself. Tony can feel his skin damp and he can hear the small broken sigh Stephen let go.

"I missed you so much, Stephen ..." Tony hugged him tightly around his neck, hiding his face in Stephen's soft hair, tears streaming down his brown eyes. "My Stephen ..."

The two of them hugged each other, hanging in the middle of the living room, the tears of happiness running unashamedly down their faces.

 

 

"You know ..." Tony whispered into Stephen's hair, he did not know how long the two had stayed there, sent and crying one on each other's arms, but Tony knew it was late, the sky was in an orange ending in the afternoon and he was aching for having stayed there for a long time without moving much, but honestly he did not care at all. Not when he had Stephen back in his arms. "For a while, I thought I'd never have it after Titan. I would never feel your arms around me like that again. " Tony laid his head on Stephen's hair, melting on the other's lap. "I spent five years mourning, for you, and for Peter. I think I just put up with Morgan ... "

"I never wanted to leave you," Stephen whispered, his voice hoarse and trembling against Tony's neck, squeezing Tony's waist more forcefully.

"Titan was never meant to end up like that. I've seen more than fourteen million futures, several losses, few victories, but only one you'd survive," Stephen gasped and Tony could feel tears streaming down his neck, "But you died. When I finally found you, you were gone forever." Every part of Stephen shook as he stopped talking, grabbing onto Tony's body with gallows as if he feared he might disappear in case he let go.

Tony took his hands into Stephen's hair and pulled his face from his neck, Stephen went willingly, though his body was still shaking. Tony looked into his husband's eyes, so young but they were in so much pain and suffering.

"I'm here, Stephen," Tony whispered, leaning his forehead against Stephen's, his arms wrapped around the other's neck. "I'm here and I'm not leaving. I will never leave you again, no matter what. "

"Don’t leave me," Stephen whispered, broken "I can not handle it, not again. I did not get it last time and if you leave me again ... Please, Anthony ... "

"I will not." Tony grabbed hold, pulling Stephen against him and kissing him gently. "I spent five years in a world without you, Stephen Strange, it sucked, I hated every moment and I do not intend to spend another second." And Tony kissed him again.

Amid the tears and kisses, the two were happy and contented in a way they had not been for a long time. Suddenly, everything seemed small, the terrible past, the future uncertain, nothing else mattered, because now they had each other again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there!
> 
> I hope you liked it! Once again, I'm sorry for bad english: c  
> this story will have several shorts inside this universe, I do not know if it's going to have a big plot, I just made this story because I'm annoyed with Endgame and his many script holes.  
> The next story will be the time when Stephen and Tony try to meet but end up failing miserably, but they end up with a happy ending.  
> I do not know when I'll update, but I'll try this month.
> 
> See ya!


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